Women-Owned Businesses Who Inspire Us

For all of the female entrepreneurs out there, you know all of the drive, ambition, devotion, and grit it takes to make it all happen! As a woman-owned business, Alpine Botanicals would not be where we are today without all of the incredible women and women-owned businesses who have supported us along the way. The modern world can be especially challenging for women these days and we believe it is SO important for us to empower one another and support each other’s work as much as possible.

All of us here at Alpine Botanicals are beyond grateful to collaborate with so many incredible women-owned businesses who inspire us every day. Since we are celebrating our 2nd Birthday this week (YAY!), we thought it fitting to share some love for a few of the ladies who help make the dream of Alpine Botanicals a reality. In this article, we wanted to feature 3 incredible women we collaborate with at Alpine Botanicals who own their own businesses, are incredibly talented, and make some seriously beautiful creations that we sell at the apothecary.

We asked Erin (artisan of Sparkle & Stone), Brittany (creatrix of Loves Lemons), and Courtney (herbalista of Honeybee Herbals) about their roots of inspiration, key pearls of wisdom they have learned along the way, and their best tips for all of the budding women entrepreneurs out there. Read on to gain some serious inspiration from these incredible women!

What inspired you to start your own business?

Erin:

The start of my business was sort of an evolution. It really started when my son was a baby and I was jonesing for some way of creatively expressing myself. I grew up always making jewelry, mostly beading, and crafting other types of handmade gifts for friends and family. So it felt really natural to start making jewelry on a more serious level. And here we are almost 10 years into Sparkle + Stone. I look back to those first designs and I’m mind blown at how far the business and myself have grown.

Brittany:

When I moved to Colorado, I made a complete lifestyle change for the better! I started eating healthy, moving my body, becoming very aware of what I was consuming— not just on the inside, but on the outside too. Making my own personal skincare started out small to save money, channel my creativity, and shift my whole routine towards nontoxic, simple, and natural ingredients. After a few years of experimenting, dialing in recipes, and exploring the big world of oils, extracts, and plants, I felt the sprouting seed of a business begin :)

Courtney:

For me, my passions and work didn't really fit into anything that already existed in our society, so for me starting my business was a way for me to combine these things and create my own way of sharing my passions and gifts with the world. I also wanted to create a platform to help restore our connection to the natural world through rekindling an appreciation for the beauty and medicine it provides all while working to inspire others to protect this earth and all the beings that live here, especially the bees.

If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice when you were first starting your business...what would it be?

Erin:

Hands down it would be to “always listen to your own voice first!” For a long time I was so focused on “what would sell” that I forgot to follow my heart as an artist. I found myself in what felt like a rut of making pieces that I wasn’t truly in love with. A few years ago I decided that I wasn’t going to sustain my business if I wasn’t feeling super passionate about everything that my hands produced. When I really started following my gut I found that I was creating more and really pushing my skills in a new way.

Brittany:

I love this question because I often sit down and consult the 90yr old version of myself— she has some loving and astute things to say about my life! In the beginning of Loves Lemons, she cheered me on with words like: “create, and all is coming!” “pour your love into what you make and so it will feel like your love” “make sure to pause and breathe in the flowers you’re working with” and also something that I now whisper to my all my houseplants, “grow, baby grow!!!” In hindsight, I would also add: There’s no rush to the finish line, (is there even a finish line? ha!) don’t feel like you need to get everything done overnight— going at your own pace is a glorious part of being your own boss, so enjoy.

Courtney:

I would have told myself to take your time! There is literally no rush and great visions truly take time to be born and created, I think I fell under a bit of pressure to get everything going and as I've grown my vision and business is constantly evolving so I would have told my younger self to spend more time in the visioning process.

What is your favorite practice, tool, or tip for staying empowered as a woman in the modern world?

Erin:

I no longer subscribe to other people’s opinions. Haha as silly as that sounds it’s so vital to my creative process. While I try and practice this in all aspects of my life, when it comes to my artwork I find that it is so important. When I’m really deep in the makings of new designs I find the less I let others influence me, the more authentic the outcome. It all goes back to one of my core values of making everyday jewelry that makes the people who wear it feel unique and beautiful.

Brittany:

I treasure my solitude — and that’s something that surprises people because I am enthusiastic in person. I’ve found that all the wisdoms, the creative ideas, the longings wanting to be surfaced, the self witnessing and self-empowerment, all come from that place that I meet inside myself with solitude. As I’ve gotten older, my alone time has diversified as yoga, meditation, nature time, and simply uninterrupted self-care time in my cozy home. All the Loves Lemons Skincare really helps too!!!

Courtney:

I would say the biggest things for me is embodiment, sisterhood, and plant medicine. To me being embodied means to be deeply grounded into myself not only my physical body but also my emotions and spirit, all while working to embody those values that are most important to me. Sisterhood is absolutely essential, I don't know what I would do without all the amazing women in my life who support and love me so fiercely, sisterhood is by far the most powerful thread in my life. Plant medicine helps us connect back to our truest self and in my opinion, is one of our greatest tools for remaining embodied and empowered in who we are and what we are meant to do in this world.

We are so grateful and inspired by Erin, Brittany, Courtney and ALL of the amazing women whose products we carry at the shop! Get to know all of the incredible women-owned businesses at Alpine Botanicals:

Alchemy of Artemis

Anima Mundi

Authentic Hemp Company

Beyond Broth

Cedar and Hyde

Daydream Dessert

Foret

Golden Root

Honeybee Herbals

Loves Lemons

Marcy Ellis

Moon Medicine

Moon Mother

Pure Mojo

Queenie

Rasa Koffee

Rooted With Ali

Rootfoot

Sasha Botanica

Savitur

Sparkle & Stone

The Wild Apothecary

Uprooted Apothecary

WishGarden

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Heather Saba is a Certified Clinical Herbalist and Nutritionist, Medical Anthropologist, Writer, Whole-Body Wellness Coach, and Holistic Educator. She sees clients both in-person and through Skype in the Alpine Botanicals clinic room and at her office in Boulder for one-on-one herbal + nutritional wellness sessions, including custom herbal formulations. Connect with her on her personal website (www.heathersaba.com) and Instagram (@heathersaba).